Due to high demand for this event we will be having two nights you can attend this year, Friday October 14th or Saturday October 15th. Both nights come anytime between 6pm – 9pm. Our most popular event! Families can walk through candle-lit trails to storytellers, then end the evening with marshmallows and the bonfire. Additional games and children’s activities will take place beneath the pavilion. This is a great event for young children as alternative to traditional Halloween activities. $2.50…

Unlike our Family Night Hike which is not scary at all, we have this terrifying event made for the thrill seekers in our community. Come in your best costume to watch a classic horror movie in the Arboretum meadow, and if you dare try venturing out into our haunted woods, but you won’t be alone… $5 per person

Volunteer Day! We need YOU!

It’s time to start creating our community center! The basement has been cleared out, beams added, April 23rd we’ll be installing stud walls. We can use people with some “construction” experience to help. We will also be painting, working on trails, clearing areas for our “playground features”, and more…. something for everyone! Please come!

We have some but can use more if you’d like to bring them!
If you’re willing to work on the house: Nail gun, electric saw, tools in general
Outside work: Need shovels, rakes, clippers
Painting: Bring extra brushes, extension roller, scraper
Everyone: Work Gloves!

Friends of the Arboretum

Monday, May 2nd, 7pm
2019 Mimosa Lane
(around the corner from the Arboretum, off Snyder Road)

Summer Camp

GreenAllies received a grant to complete the Arboretum’s Master Plan including a Low Ropes Course and a Children’s Forest Trail. Work will begin this spring and continue throughout 2016.

Franklin Institute will provide the funding for GreenAllies to run a Climate Change Action Summit for college students at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. College volunteers will be trained in climate action projects for middle and high school students for the purpose of serving as mentors during the upcoming school year. The goal is to inspire student environmental projects across the region.

Emerald Ash Borer: The invasive insect is forcing the township to cut down all the ash trees near trails and other “targets” throughout the township. Althouse Arboretum has over 200 ash trees on its property. Plans are being formulated to cut some trees immediately; monitor and cut other ash trees when needed in the future; and to SAVE some of the most important trees through chemical treatment. Looking for supporters to sponsor a tree and help fund the chemical treatment to SAVE THE TREES.

Althouse
Arboretum

February, 2016

Awesome First Year!
Trails, programs, conferences, mobile lab and more! Read about all the accomplishment of GreenAllies and the Althouse Arboretum in their first year! Tori Bateman, one of our college interns, put together this entertaining and educational report. As you read it see if your name or picture is in it!

Friends of the Arboretum

Join us! All invited! Find out what’s happening, student projects, new opportunities and more! We are a group of interested friends, neighbors, and students who come together once per season to learn, exchange ideas, and discuss possibilities for enriching the Arboretum experience for the community.

We have some new ideas we’d like to share. Hope you can come!(Here’s more about the Friends)

The Arboretum

Through cross-easement agreements with Upper Pottsgrove Township, the parcel purchased by the Township will be used as an environmental education center, complete with trails, outdoor classrooms and nature education sites managed and run by GreenAllies with no cost to the Township. All programs, activities, trail work and more is done by Green Allies with input from local students and community members. The Alliance is solely funded by grants and donations. More information is available here

Our website!

Find even more events and programs as well as information and history about the Arboretum, and even a wish list. Check it out there!

Upcoming Events

Last chance to vote!

All these projects are worth while and will eventually get done but the project with the most votes gets all! Make your tax-deductible vote NOW for your favorite project!
(Make sure to include the feature you want your $’s to vote for!)

Scrap Metal Recycling Day

Saturday, April 2nd 9am to 3pm

Volunteer Days

10am to 3pm – Come any time!

Earth Day – Saturday, April 23rdSaturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22ndSunday, June 26th

Join the fun! We create and maintain the trails, activity areas, and other features of the Arboretum, plant gardens, work on the house and more! Bring the entire family, introduce friends or make new ones at this new community resource.

Night Hike!

Friday, October 23rd
6pm to 9pm
$2.50 per person
Parking at the Aquatic Club on Moyer Road (Shuttle provided)

Calling All Volunteers!!

Saturday, October 31st, Sunday, November 1st
Saturday, November 7th & 14th
Come anytime between 10am to 3pm
We’ll be planting lots of trees and shrubs along Penn’s Woods Trail and can use all the help we can get! Hope to see you there!

Come out and join us for a celebration! We will officially open the Arboretum at 10:30 AM with a very brief ceremony followed by a community picnic. There will be free food (donations always accepted :), an art exhibit and sale, a silent auction, and other great organizations that will be joining us as we have fun and thank all who helped create this amazing place called the Althouse Arboretum. Take the opportunity to relax, meet with neighbors, enjoy some walks along our trails and find out what the Arboretum is all about. Parking will be at the Hillside Aquatic club on Moyer Road. Shuttle service is available.

We’re having a silent auction at the picnic to raise money for the Arboretum. We already have several beautiful gift baskets donated. If you’d like to donate an item for the auction contact Nancy. A great way to advertise your business and support for the Arboretum!

Sprogel’s Run 5K Race & Walk

Saturday, September 26th, opens at 9amCost: $20 for 3 mile run $10 for Fun Run and Walk
A 5k run along Sprogel’s Run Trail. Or join other community members in a 1 or 2 mile (your choice after the half-way point!) WALK or FUN RUN. Ending at the beautiful Althouse Arboretum where we will be celebrating our GRAND OPENING with a short ceremony and community picnic!
Details, Maps and Registration info here.

Grand Opening & Community Picnic!
11am to 1pm Begins with 5k Trail Run at 10am

Come out and join us for a celebration! We will officially open the Arboretum at 11:00 AM with a very brief ceremony followed by a community picnic. There will be food, art exhibits, a silent auction, and other great organizations that will be joining us as we have fun and thank all the volunteers that helped create this amazing place called the Althouse Arboretum. Take the opportunity to relax, meet with neighbors, enjoy some walks along our trails and find out what the Arboretum is all about.

We’re also having a silent auction at the picnic to raise money for the Arboretum. We already have several beautiful gift baskets donated. If you’d like to donate an item for the auction contact Nancy.

Sprogel’s Run
5K Race & Walk

Saturday, September 26th, opens at 9:00 amCost: $20 for 3 mile run $10 for Fun Run and Walk
A 5k run along Sprogel’s Run Trail. Or join other community members in a 1or 2 mile (your choice after the half-way point!) WALK or FUN RUN. Ending at the beautiful Althouse Arboretum where we will be celebrating our GRAND OPENING with a short ceremony and community picnic!
Details, Maps and Registration info here.

Volunteer Days

Saturday & Sunday, August 29th & 30th, 2015,
Come any time in between 10:00 am & 3:00 pm
We’ll be doing a little of everything!
Families welcomed!
No experience necessary!
No preregistration!

POTTSTOWN, PA – This Saturday (August 22), Mosaic will roll out its produce stand…offering up some of the season’s best vegetables! Tomatoes, potatoes, squash, pepper (sweet and hot), eggplant and sweet potatoes will be offered from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. We will have other surprise offerings for sale on the stand that afternoon. Please plan to pay us a visit before running your errands or buying from a big chain superstore!

That said, we need donations from gardeners…if you have more produce than you can pick (or eat) please let us know. We will gladly accept your donations to sell on our produce cart this Saturday! We will be at the gardens throughout Friday afternoon harvesting for weekend sales. Please email me if you would like to donate vegetables (grown at your home or the community gardens) to a worthy cause!

In partnership with National Penn Bank and Genesis Housing, Mosaic is set to host another Movie Night at the Chestnut Street Park! KOOKOO the Cartoon Magician will begin the event with a magic show at 7:30 PM that day! We have a great night planned and EVERYONE is invited!

Mosaic’s Summer Enrichment Program ended with a bang!

80 students ranging from 5-17 years old attended camp and learned more about gardening, nutrition, arts/culture, music and physical activity as each relates to different regions of the world. In each weekly program, we chose age-appropriate instruction in African-American, Latin, Native American and Caribbean cultures. The children retained more information from week to week using this well-rounded approach to learning. They formed “families” and made delicious meals together, played musical instruments some had never seen or played before, harvested items from the gardens that related to the week’s teaching and made instruments specific to each culture using recycled materials.

The summer program ended with an appreciation ice cream social at the high school to celebrate their volunteer efforts at each of the gardens and the local park, and a field trip to the Althouse Arboretum for the younger students was provided…the campers went on an hour-long trail walk/scavenger hunt while learning the reason why arboretums exist. Some of the students said that having an arboretum in our own back yards is super-cool!

It was a great summer, thanks to all those who volunteered during the program! A special thanks to our partners and supporters, ArtFusion, Olivet’s Boys and Girls Club, STRIVE Initiative, the Pottstown Athletic Club, Genesis Housing and Penn National Bank!

Mosaic is looking to celebrate the fall season by hosting a fall cleanup potluck social at the gardens! We will be looking for families to come out, clean up and prepare our gardens for the winter season. Create your best potluck recipe for this special event! “Bee” on the look-out for more information in an upcoming email…coming in September!

Grand Opening & Community Picnic!
11am to 1pm Begins with 5k Trail Run at 10am

Come out and join us for a celebration! We will officially open the Arboretum at 11AM with a very brief ceremony followed by a community picnic. Come out for food, art exhibits, and other great organizations that will be joining us as we thank all the volunteers that helped create this amazing place called the Althouse Arboretum. Take the opportunity to enjoy some walks along our trails and find out what the Arboretum is all about.

Sprogel’s Run
5K Race & Walk

Saturday, September 26th, opens at 9am
Cost: $20 for 3 mile run $10 for Fun Run and Walk
A 5k run along Sprogel’s Run Trail. Or join other community members in a 1or 2 mile (your choice after the half-way point!) WALK or FUN RUN. Ending at the beautiful Althouse Arboretum where we will be celebrating our GRAND OPENING with a short ceremony and community picnic!
Details, Maps and Registration info here.

Volunteer Days

Saturday & Sunday, August 29th & 30th, 2015,
Come any time in between 10am & 3pm
We’ll be doing a little of everything!
Families welcomed!
No experience necessary!
No preregistration!

Friday Gardening

Every Friday, through September 9am to 11am
We plant, we weed, we plan and more; learning from each other, getting to know one another and enjoying the outdoors, join us!

Also plants are available for purchase.

and lets not forget…

World Honeybee Day

Saturday, August 15th
Bring your favorite snack that requires a little honey. We will have jars of honey for you to enjoy while you walk around and learn about these important friends.

Gardening Morning
Inspired by what we accomplished on Sunday we thought we’d have a gardening morning. The wildflower gardens are beautiful and need a little TLC to stay that way and we have lots more possibilities! Maybe even an ongoing program? If you’re around, join us and be a part of what we’re up to at the Arboretum this Thursday, July 2nd from 9:00 am to 11:00 am.

Don’t forget about Grandparent’s Treasure HuntWednesday, July 8th – Open 10:30 -1:30 Donation: $5
Kids and their grandparents (or parents) can team up for a short hike through the woods looking for the hidden treasures using our treasure map! When you mission is accomplished, stay for a picnic lunch and activities. You can register here.

Summer Camp

June’s group had so much fun they’re all coming back in July! There’s still time to sign up. You can sign up here.

Children grades K through 4thJuly 13-17, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm – Wildlife Week
Looking closely you can find wildlife everywhere in our nature center! Campers will see, collect and identify familiar and quite strange creatures in our woods, fields and ponds.Scrap Metal and Tire Recycling Day more successful than we hoped in the rain. Thank you!

We’re using the tires for our greenhouse. Check it out when you walk by.

Saturday, June 27th, 9 am to 1 pm
Copper, aluminum, brass, steel and more.
No fee, all donations appreciated(Please drop off only during recycling hours)

Volunteer Day
will be cancelled Saturday in case of rain. Come Sunday instead!

Anytime between 10am and 3pm
We can use your help trail blazing!

Library Storytime and Nature Hike – Rocks are Lively

Monday, June 29th 11am to 12:30pm
All Ages Donation: $5
The Pottstown Library and the Althouse Arboretum will team up for this special program. Leslie Stillings, Director of Youth Services, will be our guest storytime reader. Afterwards, children will enjoy a short hike, guided by our staff, where they will climb rocks, explore the boulder field, and try their hand at “rock” experiments! You can register here

Also…We’re celebrating INTERNATIONAL MUD DAY this TUESDAY!
Free! You are sure to get messy on this day! Come anytime. Several activities will be set up for kids who like to get muddy. Build a castle in the wet sand or try out our mud walk! Warning to Parents: Be prepared for the ride home!

Connecting trail to Sussel Park is done! Now for your walking pleasure you can enjoy not only the Arboretum but Sussel Park too all in one walk. Lovely ponds at Sussel and good exercise walking the hill.

We now have a shed!Thanks to an Eagle Scout project the shed is finished and already being put to good use by our student interns. Lots going on!

Have you seen our ID Garden across from the shed? Created by student interns the garden will give you the names and show you the native plants you may see in the Arboretum.

Plant Sale. Next to the shed you’ll find a plant sale of mostly native, locally grown plants. If you want a quantity of any one plant contact Nancy. Prices are below what you find at the garden center and 100% of the proceeds go towards funding Arboretum projects.

Mark Saturday, September 26th in your calendar now. You’ll be glad you did. It’s the Arboretum’s Grand Opening Celebration and you’ll be amazed as what we have planned!

There’s a classroom in the woods. Can you find it?

Last chance to sign up for June’s Summer Camp! Starts Tomorrow!Summer Camps 2015

Children grades K through 4thJune 22-26, 9am to 12pm –Nature Explorers
Learn about nature by exploring it! Campers become detectives looking for clues to reveal each day’s nature mystery and wonder.

(8am arrival available) Click on the picture for more info and registration.

Recycling ScrapMetal & Tires

Saturday, June 27th, 9 am to 1 pm
Have you been meaning to clean out the garage? Get rid of the broken tools? Copper, aluminum, brass, steel and more.
No fee, all donations appreciated(Please drop off only during recycling hours)

Volunteer Weekend

June 27th & 28th, 2015,The last Saturday and Sunday of each month,
Come any time in between 10am & 3pm
Much of what you see at the Arboretum has been done by volunteers. Join in! We’ll be doing a little of everything! Planting, weeding, moving, building, clearing, choose your favorite activity, meet your neighbors and have fun! A great family activity! No experience necessary! No preregistration required!

A lecture series presented by Master Gardeners and other experts in their field.
Please preregister here

Native Plants for Every Garden

JUNE 9th 7:00 pm Donation: $5Learn how you can add beauty and reduce maintenance while at the same time improving the ecosystem of your own backyard by using native plants in your landscape with Marc Randell, Master Gardener. You can preregister here

Certified Wildlife Habitats

JUNE 16th 7:00 pm Donation: $5Certified Wildlife Habitats are a program run by the National Wildlife Federation to provide recognition for any property that provides food, water, shelter, nesting spaces and sustainable gardening practices that support wildlife. Whether you have a small yard, a balcony or acres of land, this program will help you attract beautiful wildlife to your property and reduce storm water in the process. You can preregister here
~ Rachel Rosenfeld, Master Gardener

Garden Tips & Tricks, a Show & Tell

JUNE 23rd 7:00 pm Donation: $5

Find fresh ideas to use in your garden this summer. Learn about items in your home or yard that can be re-purposed or recycled in ways you may not have thought of. Get the down and dirty with Kathy Klein, Master Gardener You can preregister here

Garden in Place and Bring Nature Home

JUNE 30th 7:00 pm Donation: $5To garden in place and bring nature home not only beautifies your environment, feeds birds and wildlife and makes maintenance easier, but it also shows a personal commitment to preserving our natural world. Preserving our natural world in this way supports life not only in your backyard but on the planet as well. Putting this concept into practice may be easier than you think, with greater rewards than you imagine. Learn more with Leslie Bass, Master Grardener. You can preregister here

In the News

The entrance to our parking lot is done! Soon (with the help of our volunteers!) the handicapped gardens will be in place. The shed is almost finished so we’ll be able to move all the gardening tools out of the house. Plants are blooming, some we identify and add pictures of on our facebook page. Come visit!

Gardening Series

A lecture series presented by Master Gardeners and other experts in their field. Please preregister hereStarts Tuesday, May 26, 7pm Donation $5 First in our series is Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Composting. Do you need a bin? If so what size? What do you put in it? How do you use it? All questions answered! Also a limited supply of native plants will be available for purchase.

Volunteer Weekend

May 30th & 31st, 2015,The last Saturday and Sunday of each month, Come any time in between 10am & 3pm We’ll be doing a little of everything! Planting, weeding, moving, choose your favorite activity, meet your neighbors and have fun! Families welcomed! No experience necessary! No preregistration required!

Summer Camps 2015

Children grades K through 4th June 22-26, 9am to 12pm –Nature Explorers Learn about nature by exploring it! Campers become detectives looking for clues to reveal each day’s nature mystery and wonder. July 13-17, 9am to 12pm – Wildlife Week Looking closely you can find wildlife everywhere in our nature center! Campers will see, collect and identify familiar and quite strange creatures in our woods, fields and ponds. (8am arrival available) Click on the picture for more info and registration.

Recycling Day – Scrap Metal and Tires

Saturday, June 27th, 9 am to 1 pmSupport the Arboretum and clean out the garage at the same time! No fee, all donations appreciated. (Please drop off only during recycling hours)

Volunteer Weekend Saturday & Sunday, April 25th & 26thLast Saturday and Sunday of each month,Come any time in between 10:00am & 3:00pmWe’ll be doing a little of everything!

Bring work gloves!Yes, we’ll be working on all kinds of projects, lots going on! Beyond the projects is the opportunity to meet your neighbors, get out in the fresh air, be part of the community and have some fun. All invited, families welcomed. Come anytime between 10am and 3pm. Hope to see you there!

ProgramsDon’t forget to check out our Spring and Summer Programs and Camps!

Spring Cleaning?Check out our wishlist before you toss!

Garden & Poetry MonthRoses are red,Violets are blue,If you can rhyme,This contest is for you…

Message us on Facebook or email us with your best original short garden or Arboretum Poem before the end of April. Winners will be announced in May and the winning poem will win a gift card and be posted at the Arboretum!

Friends of the Arboretum

Monday, April 13th, 6:30 pm
Under the Pavillion

A group of interested friends, neighbors and students who come together to share ideas, resources, and possibilities to enrich the Arboretum experience for all. You can volunteer your time and talent, or become part of a community team to discuss, plan and work together to make our land a first-class outdoor destination for the community.Come join us and explore the possibilities! Everyone invited!

Free Tree Tender Training for you?

Thursday evenings April 16, 23, 30, from 6:00 -9:00pm.Chester Springs (33 minutes south of the Arboretum)

The PA Horticulture Society has offered to provide us with free trees if we have individuals with Tree Tender Training. The SAVE Alliance Foundation has offered to pay for anyone to take the training who agrees to complete the training and volunteer time to plant trees at the Althouse Arboretum. We can carpool from the Arboretum. How about it?

During three energetic sessions learn the basics of tree planting and care including tree biology, identification, stresses, planting , pruning and root care – and how to use these skills in your home landscape and in helping to restore the tree canopy in your neighborhood and the region. Skills to use at home too!

Friends of the Arboretum, Hark!

Monday, April 13th 6:30 pm Under the pavilion at the Arboretum
in case of bad weather, 2019 Mimosa LaneWill post on the website and Facebook if we move it from the Arboretum.

If you want to know more about what’s going on at the Arboretum (lots!), if you’d like to participate in the Friends mission to share ideas, develop resources, and plan ways to enrich the Arboretum experience for all, if you want to see how you can become part of the action – come! All invited!

If you can’t attend the meeting, you can still email us your ideas! Your input is valuable!

Forest Easter Egg Hunt – A Success!

Over 150 people came out to search for eggs and visit with our very own Easter Bunny. The event was planned, organized and run by Pottsgrove High School’s Spark the Wave Club with healthy snacks donated by Kimberton Whole Foods Douglassville.

Heard someone leaving say, “See, this is what we used to do for Easter at Grandma’s.” – ah, family memories and good times in the making!

Here’s a wonderful article with delightful pictures by the Sanatoga Post where you can read all about it.

Pottstown Challenge

Another success! Over $5,000 was raised to meet the Pottstown Challenge. The Greater Pottstown Foundation will now match our $5,000 giving us the funds to provide special summer programs for at-risk and low income children at the Arboretum. The money will pay for transportation, program costs, and provide scholarships for local high school student interns who will run the programs.

Individuals and businesses who contributed will be featured on our soon to be available trail map. You’ll be able to pick one up at the Arboretum or download one from the website. We strongly encourage you to support our sponsors and thank the individuals who support the Arboretum and its programs. There’s still time for individual’s to get on on the map. Just click the Matching Grant Donation button at the website. Put the name you want on the rock in the box and add your $50 donation so we can let everyone know ‘you rock!’ Hurry! Only a little time left!

Just for Fun

April is “Garden and Poetry Month!” (No foolin’!)
Message us on Facebook or email us with your best original short garden or Arboretum Poem. Winners will be announced in May and the winning poem will win a gift card and be posted at the Arboretum!

Drop off your old appliances at the Arboretum, refrigerators, air conditioners, microwaves, washers…..anything that is labeled as an “appliance.” Volunteers will be there to assist you. Call 267-371-2288 with questions.

All you have to do is drive in, volunteers will unload and you drive out, one Spring chore off your list!
Drop off appliance during event hours only.No electronics or TVs.

Below you’ll find the proposed trail map, letter from the Executive Director (Ken) and both the business and individual donation requests (PDF files). Our goal is to reach $5,000 by March 20th and the only way we will do that is with your help. This is the Arboretum’s first matching funds grant and it would be awesome to start off with a great success.

All donations will be matched by The Greater Pottstown Foundation to allow the SAVE Alliance Foundation to provide free after-school and summer outdoor experiences for low income and at-risk youth from the Pottstown area. Not only will the donation help create a first-class arboretum, but it will also go to provide such a wonderful service for the region’s children.